Ex Humanitarian Minister, others wanted for alleged ₦746.6 million fraud

• Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and Permanent Secretary, Bashir Nura Alkali, face arrest over alleged fraud involving $1.3 million and ₦746.6 million.
  

• The funds were supposed to be refunded to the ministry, but were allegedly misappropriated by the accused for personal use.
  

• A warrant of arrest was issued after the two officials failed to attend their court hearing, with only the third defendant present.
  

• The case is now more urgent, with the court demanding accountability from the defendants after months of procedural delays.

There’s a certain irony that’s hard to ignore here, how a ministry built around helping the most vulnerable is now at the centre of a case this serious.

On Thursday, April 16, 2026, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja issued a warrant of arrest for former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Bashir Nura Alkali.

Both officials were expected to be in court for their arraignment, but didn’t show up. Only the third defendant in the case, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, appeared.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a 21-count charge against the trio. The allegations are weighty, criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, questionable contract awards, and the alleged diversion of public funds running into about $1.3 million and ₦746.6 million.

One of the charges lays out the heart of the matter. It claims that the funds in question were meant to be returned to the ministry by Visual ICT Limited after an overpayment tied to the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO). Instead, the prosecution says the money was converted for personal use.

The charge reads in part: “That you Sadiya Umar Farouq, While being Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and Bashir Nura Alkali while being the permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, between 8 May 2021 and 22 September 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and in such capacity entrusted with certain property to wit, an aggregate sum of $1,300,000.00… committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property when you fraudulently converted the said sum to your personal benefit…”

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In court, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, suggested this wasn’t a sudden breakdown in communication. According to him, the case has been in motion for months, but getting the first two defendants before the court has been a challenge.

“We could not arraign them on 15 December, because we could not produce them but their lawyers in court promised that they would produce the defendants but we didn’t see them until your lordship made an order for the state service. The defendants have now been served, my lord, only the third defendant has reported to the Commission when his surety was contacted. The third defendant’s surety is also in court,” he said.

He went further, raising concerns about Farouq’s whereabouts.

“My lord, since that passport was released to her, she has not returned the passport to the Commission. We do not have the medical report in Saudi Arabia till date. Only this morning, my friend served me with an affidavit of fact… all the medical reports which my friend attached… were issued after the charge had been filed. No medical report was issued or shown to us for the approved journey and the release of her passport.”

On the other side, counsel to the former minister, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, maintained that her absence was due to ill health. He asked the court to admit an affidavit explaining her condition, but the court declined the request.

With the arrest warrant now in place, the case takes on a different tone, less procedural delay, more urgency. What began as an investigation into financial misconduct is now also about accountability and presence: showing up to answer the charges.

For now, the court waits.